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I played a tennis tournament this weekend and ended up playing my practice partner in the second round. As much as I loathe losing, when I can lose and clearly see improvement in my game and see the areas that I need to work on, while still able to maintain the belief that those deficient areas are areas that I can improve on, it is a good loss!

I’d been playing this seventeen year old kid twice a week since my ankle healed. Sometimes we have good practices. Sometimes, the fatigue of a week of school (or work) catches up to us and the intensity drops. I was excited to play her in a competitive environment though. And it lived up to my expectations.

Aside from the facts that one, I lack confidence in some of the shots I was becoming quite proficient at before my ankle injury and two, I am so sorely out of shape since there was little I could do with the ankle injury and moping and feeling sorry for myself and eating cookies seemed like a rational solution to my injury woes at the time, and three, it has been eight months since I played a competitive match, I left the match believing that I will get better.

There are always times when you play a match and you can say to yourself, I will never be as good as that person. So, you get down on yourself and maybe you don’t train as hard the next time around, figuring what’s the point? As much as I know that to be a mistake, I have yet to find a way to combat the after lost-match blues.

At any cost, there are things to work on before the next national (May 15^th), but I am just grateful to be in a good mental place right now. I love when I can finish a tournament and be inspired to train harder and practice more. I am looking forward to the next month of hard work on the court and in the gym.

Look for me to update some of my favorite footwork drills, soon.

Stay tuned,

KS

Adidas Barricade 6-month Outsole Guarantee

If you’re like me, you can wear through the outsoles of a pair of tennis shoes fairly fast.

My latest pair of Adidas Barricades were purchased in November and despite having a lighter training session because of my ankle injury, there is a grape-sized hole under my big toe in my left shoe and the soles are pretty bald on both shoes.

I’ve published a post about Adidas’ Six Month Outsole Guarantee for Barricades before but for those of you who need it; the address is:

Adidas 6-Month Guarantee

495 Cedar Crest Road

Spartanburg, SC 29301

Be advise the cost of shipping has gone up. It is now $13.25. So when you pack up your Barricades, include a check or money order for the shipping of your replacement shoes and your original receipt.

I have been in a three month long argument with the Adidas people about their replacement policy. After not receiving my last replacement pair, within the normal two to three week time period, I assumed they had been rejected as not eligible for a replacement pair. But then my check to cover the shipping as cashed.

I called customer service and spoke with a rude lady who assured me it was “not their policy to replace custom Barricades”. The shoes in question were my eighth pair of shoes submitted in three years that were customized.

Needless to say, I was confused.

She said they would be replaced by I should be advised that it is not their policy to replace custom shoes. She would not address the fact that my check was cashed as though the shoes were replaced or the fact that their website states, “Custom mi Barricades that qualify for the Adidas Six Month Outsole Guarantee are replaced with a current inline style and not with another customized pair.”

I am not sure what I am going to do aside from continuing to send the shoes and forcing their hands until they take that down from their website.

I have to say that I am annoyed to find that they would be so reluctant to replace a customized pair when they cost 50 dollars more than the inline style. And if someone is willing to pay as much as I do for the shoes and as often as I do, I would think they would be a little kinder and accommodating to a long-time, loyal customer.

Stay tuned,

KS

Grosse Ile Tennis Tournament

The Grosse IleGrosse Ile, Michigan, is hosting a tournament for adults and competitive juniors this weekend, March 15, 16 and 17, 2013.

Called the “Battle On The Island”, there will be Men’s Open Singles, Men’s Open Doubles, Women’s Open Singles and Women’s Open Doubles.

The cost is $40 for singles and $20 dollars a person for doubles.

The deadline to enter is Tuesday, March 12^th, 2013.

Enter by calling the Tournament Phone Line @ 734-552-1214.

To find out your start time, you have to call the Tournament Phone Line on Thursday, March 14^th, 2013 between the hours of 2pm and 8pm.

Tournaments are an awesome way to get some boot camp-style tennis training in. Too often in USTA matches, I feel like just when I’ve figured something out, the match is over and there’s another week until I find myself in a competitive match situation again.

At any cost, hope to see you there!

I'm Different, Yeah, I'm Different.

Okay, so the kids are beginning to rub off on me. One too many high school days in an urban school district and I am regularly "irritated" or find things "irritatin'," or run into people who "be irritatin' me." I'm rolling my eyes more. And the lyrics to an infinite number of songs too inappropriate to rap/sing around my mother are constantly playing in my head. The 'Most Frequently Played' song on my ipod went from being Miranda Lambert's Gunpowder and Lead to Two Chainz' Birthday Song. (I know. My sister has already planned an intervention.)

But as many bad habits as I am picking up, I like to think that I am picking up a few good ones, too. A few years ago, a friend of mine told me that I needed to walk around the court like I had swag. And although I've done okay in terms of posing like I have swag, there's always a little doubt in my head. Everyday when I am around these kids, I am amazed at their confidence. Feigned or otherwise. They have a chip on their shoulder and they are determined to prove anyone who doubts their swag wrong.

That's the swag I want to have.

I had a conversation with a pretty intelligent twelfth grader after a match against an opponent who has always acted like I didn't belong on the court with her. All I did was beat her. She accused me of cheating. She threw a two-year-old-sized tantrum on the court. And she badmouths my game any chance she gets. That alone wouldn't bother me... If she treated all of her opponents that way. But she doesn't.

It's just me.

I'm different. Yeah, I'm different. (Middle finger up to my competition)

In a mxd doubles match where I was hitting frame-shot, mis-hit winners and aces all night, a serve got away from me and hit her in the foot. She proceeded to throw a big fit about it. And when another serve got away from me a few games later, she came unglued. But two games later, when my tennis partner mis-hit a serve that just missed her head, she laughed. And joked with him.

Okay.

It doesn't bother me, until it does. Like being highlighted at a hockey league board meeting simply for scoring goals. Forget the fact that the forty team league with six different divisions must have more than merely me scoring goals. Somehow I am drawing attention.

My point is there is always big talk from the USTA about inclusion and diversity. But the sport breeds exclusion.

Take for an example the instance of Taylor Townsend being denied funding for the 2012 US Open because of her "weight" problem. The then #1 junior in the world made it to New York on her mother's dime until stars like Lindsey Davenport herself, the opposite of the twiggy stick players we are used to seeing, spoke out against the USTA's decision to exclude her because of her weight.

Only in the field of women's sports would we dog a player who weighs more than your average player, even though she was the NUMBER ONE JUNIOR IN THE WORLD! And if her weight is a serious issue, sidelining her from competing is counter-active isn't it? Wouldn't a better solution be to tell her to play twice as many tournaments in the hopes that all that tennis might help her shed some pounds?

I play a lot of sports and even though I've faced the typical pettiness that comes from being an African-American in typically Caucasian-dominated sports and there's not a sport that I've yet learned to "play like a dainty lady", tennis has the most attitude. Most other sports will appreciate your game as long as you play hard and work hard.

Not tennis.

I walked out of a hockey locker room one day only to have to go back because I'd forgotten my stick. As I opened the door, I heard a girl say, "Oh my God, did you see her legs? No wonder she's fast." Okay, that was not the first time I've heard comments about my legs. But that was the first time, it was so clearly a compliment.

How is it possible that we can praise Tsonga for being the athletic beast that he is, but we are going to scoff at Townsend? What if the basketball world focused only on Shaq's weight when he was tearing down rims instead of being impressed by the athleticism of someone that big?

If you ever want to see the best footwork on a tennis court, you have to check out Kathleen Hawkins from Western Michigan University. The 5-11 junior is built like a girl Shaq. I have never in my life seen someone so explosive out of every single split step she takes before every single shot! She is my new favorite player. There is so much power in every single shot. But if I was looking at her through the single-sighted glasses that tennis tries to impose on us, all I would see is...

She's different. Yeah, she's different.

Stay tuned,
KS

Tennis Voodoo

These are my tennis buddies. They are on my bag and with me every match I play. They all seem pretty happy and encouraging.

In July, my friend, Ann, introduced me to a new friend who was capable of tennis voodoo. Well, I am not one to judge so I found a place for her among the rest of my friends.

I should have knew something was up. She doesn't even smile! Since she joined my friends, I have twisted my ankle and endured the worst case of bronchitis I've ever had. Ann kept her twin sister and poor Ann has twisted her knee, almost cut off the tip of her finger and had to have side-lining surgery to remove a cyst from her finger.

So, I learned an important lesson in 2012. Tennis Voodoo doesn't work the way I want it to. So I guess I have to go back to practicing and training if I want to do well.

Bye, evil tennis voodoo girl! You've got to go. (Even though I liked the way you rocked your little tennis dress.)

Stay tuned,
KS.

Goodbye 2012

I am happily saying goodbye to 2012.

In July I severely sprained my ankle the day before USTA district playoffs.

Just as I was able to begin playing with a little consistency again and running again in OCTOBER! I began experiencing my bi-annual bronchitis symptoms. But unlike in years past where I suffer through my normal tennis and hockey activities, this time, I was down for the count. For six weeks, I couldn't work, workout or hit the courts with any regularity.

There have been no posts in that time because the frustration of not being able to do my thing was overwhelming.

But, I am starting 2013 off with a tournament in a couple of days which I am looking forward to. And I am planning a series of posts that will update what my tennis-related exploits have been and what they will be.

Happy New Years, Everyone!

And stay tuned,
KS

Tennis Brats

Some of you know how reluctantly I signed up for USTA summer league this season. (For those of you who didn't know, sorry if it shocks you that I wasn't as excited about the upcoming season as I tried to pretend.)

I had many reasons for feeling apprehensive. I didn't have a great season the year before. I was yelled at by opponents for winning (I kid you not), criticized by teammates for hitting "too hard", and my name came up in a backwards complimentary way at league meetings in the context of "Hell no, I don't want to play her, anymore." I was tired of the John McEnroe-egos that were synonymous with adult league; players who'd picked up the racquet 10 years ago as an adult, never made it past flight play but new the rules of tennis based on their experienced and whatever meltdown they witnessed on the pro tour.

Late last summer, I took some time off. Not from training and hitting, but from competing against other league adults. I went to clinics. I hit with training partners. I hit the gym. I played a tournament in October, something I always enjoyed doing, but was nervous because I hadn't played competitively in a couple of months (if I'm honest, I hadn't played a competitive match since my last tournament almost ten months prior). But I wanted to play in an environment where I could just play my game and not have to listen to the criticism.

In the final round, I got to play a friend and my fourteen year old doubles partner from Chicago, the great Ty Ana Williams. I was looking forward to getting my clocked cleaned by her. The first time I played her, she was twelve and she beat me 0 and 1. The second time she beat me 0 and 2. Then, with us playing so many tournaments together, I did not run into her in any draw for two years. I knew since she'd turned 14 she was training even harder and attending elite camps and playing in the ITF tour. I knew she'd grown and gotten stronger and I was just excited to play and hit the ball. I lost 5 and 4 and played some of the most amazing tennis of my life.

So, I made a decision not to play league anymore. I was convince USTA league tennis was detrimental to both my game and my mental stability.

But then my friends asked me to play. And I told myself that with the USTA changing the format of leagues for 2013, I may only have this opportunity to play with my friends in the summer considering a lot of my teammates are old enough to play in the 40-over league and I think that a lot of them will choose to play there.

So, I put on a brave face and readied myself for the first match.

And I played HORRIBLY!

But I won.

And the second match...

I played HORRIBLY.

But I won.

I was not myself on the court. I was agitated and angry and disgusted with my play and not having fun and pushing the ball and not moving my feet and, well, the list goes on... I was the portrait of 'What Not To Do On a Tennis Court'. And I couldn't figure out why. I couldn't figure out how I'd lost my rhythm. I got on the ball machine and thought I'd worked out the problem. But the next match back was the same crappy hitting and bad attitude. I went to match play and had the most awesome round with a current college player, losing only in a tiebreaker. But the next league match I played, I struggled to take it to a tiebreaker and then barely won.

I couldn't figure it out until I hit with one of my favorite guy hitting partners and I talked to him about my 14-2 record. I told him the dumb crap I'd been dealing with from some of my opponents and then it hit me. I was letting those things bother me. Before one of my first matches when my opponent informed me that she didn't want me holding the third ball (I wasn't going to anyway) because "women where skirts so you know where the ball goes", I found myself agitated before the match even started. And when another opponent spun her racquet one revolution and declared me the loser of the toss, then refused to re-spin, leading to a five minute pre-match argument, I was so mad during the first set, I think I hit every single ball right at her head.

Then there were the out calls. On my serve, which normally I would shake off. I am a firm believer that it is your call to make and I respect my opponents calls... Even when they are wrong. But this year, it ANNOYED me. Especially the ones that were not called until my opponent had mulled it over for a few minutes and then declared, "You know what? That ball was out."

And there was the guy who complained throughout a mixed doubles match that he doesn't know why he loses all the time at this level when he plays so well at the upper level. The same man then, a month later, stood mute on a court and watched as his 19-year old partner when psycho on a teammate of mine over a let call.

Or that man's teammate who chased my teammate, a lady who would make Ms. Manners look Larry the Cable Guy, from the club where the match was held.

There were the guys who came onto adjacent courts as a women's match was finishing up and then proceeded to argue with the women about turning the fans back on. One of the competitive guys even told one of the women to shut up. I guess that was him getting his game face on.

There were the guys who started warming up on a court next to me for a match and every time the ball came onto my court, they would follow it and pick it up as though we weren't even playing.

There was the lady on an adjacent court to me who every time I hit the ball would have a comment, "Jeez Maxine, why don't you hit the ball a little harder?" Or, "Maxine, does every overhead have to be smashed over the netting?" (Um, Nosy Lady, don't you have a match to attend to on your own court? Or, Busy Body, Jeez. Do you have to push the ball that slow every time you hit?)

There was the opponent who decided to take 5 minutes on the changeovers.

And the one who disappeared for ten minutes between sets.

And the lady who hit me twice with the ball, but then acted like she needed a medical timeout when I hit her. And who then proceeded for the rest of the match to treat me like I was some kind of wild animal that should be observed only from a safe distance. (I have to be honest, that one kind of made me smile on the inside.) But the same lady got nailed in the back by her partner's serve and simply played on like it was a routine play with them. I have to tell you, I'd be way more upset about getting hit in the back than I would be about seeing the ball coming where I would at least have a chance to react and MOVE!

And every time things like that happened, I thought to myself, "This is the very reason why I didn't want to be here."

In the past, I've often thought that women didn't know how to be competitive, that they mistake meanness and an adjective that starts with a b with competitiveness. But I've played tourneys were women aren't like that and I've played mxd this where the men thing that being nasty is competitive and it just doesn't make sense that there is all this drama for a sport that is supposed to be a gentleperson's sport.

I maintain that it is because in tennis, we are calling our own lines. There's something to be said for playing on the honor system and then finding out that few people have any. Imagine if in softball the team on defense was allowed to say, "You know what? That HR over the centerfielder's head was foul."

And I am overly sensitive about it. I love my hockey mates because it's stuff like I described above that makes for good laughs in the locker room after the game. Its stuff like I described above that requires no less than a dozen reenactments, each one becoming more and more absurd until there's not one person in the locker room not suffering from some degree of laugh cramps. We laugh until bratty behavior becomes a perfected cocktail story, one that we will tell after every late night game and every team party.

But tennis, sometimes solitary and sometimes lonely, is what it is. And stories about the tennis brats I come across are most times witnessed only by me.

I find myself playoff-bound with my team this weekend, hoping for good things and good times and, importantly, good play.

Stay tuned...
KS